Brewers Acquire Lance McCullers Jr. From Astros

[Jim Goulart]

Via "Foul Territory": "The Astros found a taker for Lance McCullers Jr. on Wednesday, trading him to the Brewers alongside pitcher Colton Gordon in exchange for Jadyn Fielder, the son of six-time All-Star Prince Fielder. Crush City Territory host Chandler Rome discusses why the Astros traded McCullers and what they'll do in his absence before analyzing McCullers' legacy to Houston's golden era."

Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: "Sports Radio 610 in Houston's Patrick Creighton breaks down the Brewers trading for SP Lance McCullers Jr. Patrick explains what McCullers will bring to the Crew's locker room as a World Series-winning vet."

Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: "MLB Insider Jon Heyman sheds a little bit more insight on the Lance McCullers trade to Milwaukee. Jon hints at some other moves the Brewers could still make, based off their recent history."

Via the "View from Bernie's Chalet" Podcast: "Jason & Hyatt discuss Lance McCullers/Colton Gordon trade, Futures Game, HR Derby, All-Star Game, dreadful series in Pittsburgh, answers listener questions, card corner & preview the Marlins & Mets series."

Via the "Brew Crew Review" Podcast: Discussing the McCullers - Gordon - Fielder Trade

[Jim Goulart]

 

[craigharmann]

6 hours ago, Team Canada said:

I'm trying to understand the Houston side of this - I guess you're convinced that Gordon's nothing and you'd rather have a gas station scratch off ticket than someone who's at AAA already? McCullers for $2M is whatever, but I guess maybe they see something in Jadyn.

Signed him to a 5/85 extension and received 32 starts. Two completely lost seasons. They are trying to get out of the contract early so that there's a little more financial flexibility. That's 98% of this trade.

[Jim Goulart]

 

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

Well, our current DH stinks… so there is that.   But that might be more a function of pancakes playing the wrong players…

then again, Vaughn hasn’t looked great lately 

[Jopal78]

1 hour ago, craigharmann said:

Signed him to a 5/85 extension and received 32 starts. Two completely lost seasons. They are trying to get out of the contract early so that there's a little more financial flexibility. That's 98% of this trade.

Seems like Houston is unwilling to exceed the luxury tax threshold, yet want to add talent before the trade deadline; so trimming  payroll here allows them to take on more payroll later, plus it opens up 40 man roster spots, etc. 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

13 hours ago, JohnBriggs12 said:

Well hopefully it doesn't turn out to be another Tristan Peters for Trevor Rosenthal deal

Yep, because it's been rough for Brewer fans watching Peters blossom in the middle of the Giants' order.

Seriously ... he's been dealt twice in minor deals, then DFA'd and traded for cash since he was Brewers' property. Your argument is disingenuous at absolute best.

[homer]

21 minutes ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

Yep, because it's been rough for Brewer fans watching Peters blossom in the middle of the Giants' order.

Seriously ... he's been dealt twice in minor deals, then DFA'd and traded for cash since he was Brewers' property. Your argument is disingenuous at absolute best.

Yeah people remember that but can anyone remember who we gave up to get Gio Gonzalez (who went 3 - 0 in 5 starts and had a 2.13 ERA in 25.1 innings for the Brewers)?

The priciest pickup, both in terms of payroll and prospects, was Gonzalez, a decorated 11-year veteran who is struggling towards the end of his contract. After finishing sixth in National League Cy Young Award balloting last season with a 2.96 ERA in 32 starts, Gonzalez is 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA, including 1-5 with a 6.55 ERA since the All-Star break and 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA in August.
 

Spoiler

Still, the acquisition cost was significant. Besides absorbing the $2 million left on Gonzalez's contract before he hits free agency this offseason, the Brewers gave up 22-year-old catcher/first baseman KJ Harrison, a third-round Draft pick in 2017 who ranked No. 29 on MLB Pipeline's list of Milwaukee's Top 30 Prospects, plus 20-year-old infielder Gilbert Lara, a onetime top Brewers prospect who signed for $3.2 million in 2014 but has a .598 OPS in four Minor League seasons.

 

[sveumrules]

18 hours ago, Sugarrayray said:

Pretty much none of his tradeline acquisitions have worked.

In 2023 he dealt for Mark Canha and Carlos Santana. The team went from an 89 wRC+ and 4.15 R/G thru July 31st with a 57 W - 50 L record (.533 W%) to a 101 wRC+ and 5.16 R/G from August onward with a 35 W - 20 L record (.636 W%) while Canha (121 wRC+) and Carlos (108 wRC+) put up the 3rd and 4th best hitting lines on the team that year after Contreras (126 wRC+) and Yelich (123 wRC+).

In 2024 he dealt for Nick Mears and Frankie Montas. Mears didn't do much during the regular season in 2024, but threw 56.2 IP of 84 ERA- | 93 FIP- in 2025 plus four scoreless postseason innings for his Brewers career. Montas did exactly what he was supposed to do, ate innings (his 57.1 IP was tops on the team from August onward) while the team went 8 W - 3 L in his 11 starts. They went from a .565 W% thru July 31st to a .593 W% from August onward.

2025 deadline he didn't need to do as much since earlier season acquisitions Priester and Vaughn had already helped the team to a 64 W - 44 L record (.593 W%) by July 31st, but still went out and upgraded back up catcher with Danny Jansen (78 PA of 119 wRC+) plus picked up Brandon Lockridge who has been a perfectly cromulent 4th OF when healthy at 149 PA of 98 wRC+ for 0.5 WAR. From August onward they went 33 W - 21 L for a .611 W%.

[Sugarrayray]

21 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

In 2023 he dealt for Mark Canha and Carlos Santana. The team went from an 89 wRC+ and 4.15 R/G thru July 31st with a 57 W - 50 L record (.533 W%) to a 101 wRC+ and 5.16 R/G from August onward with a 35 W - 20 L record (.636 W%) while Canha (121 wRC+) and Carlos (108 wRC+) put up the 3rd and 4th best hitting lines on the team that year after Contreras (126 wRC+) and Yelich (123 wRC+).

In 2024 he dealt for Nick Mears and Frankie Montas. Mears didn't do much during the regular season in 2024, but threw 56.2 IP of 84 ERA- | 93 FIP- in 2025 plus four scoreless postseason innings for his Brewers career. Montas did exactly what he was supposed to do, ate innings (his 57.1 IP was tops on the team from August onward) while the team went 8 W - 3 L in his 11 starts. They went from a .565 W% thru July 31st to a .593 W% from August onward.

2025 deadline he didn't need to do as much since earlier season acquisitions Priester and Vaughn had already helped the team to a 66 W - 44 L record (.611 W%) by July 31st, but still went out and upgraded back up catcher with Danny Jansen (78 PA of 119 wRC+) plus picked up Brandon Lockridge who has been a perfectly cromulent 4th OF when healthy at 149 PA of 98 wRC+ for 0.5 WAR. They didn't improve upon their W% thru July 31st, but held serve at 33 W - 21 L for an identical .611 W%.

Let’s put it this way - none of them put their team over the top. The point is that when you are a top tier team, trying to improve around the very tip of the margins is not going to change anything come playoff time. They could use their almost history setting farm system to make significant improvements. Guys like, Rosenthal, Canha, Shelby Miller, and “cromulent” 4th to 5th outfielders is not what they need to be laser focused on.   
 

Arnold and his team shouldn’t be waking up of a morning and thinking “which injured way-past-his-prime pitcher can we acquire that could maybe get healthy and maybe catch lightning in a bottle”. They should be thinking “What move can we make that can change the complexion of a series against the Dodgers, who treated us like children in the playoffs last year?”

  

[liveforoctober]

2 minutes ago, Sugarrayray said:

Let’s put it this way - none of them put their team over the top. The point is that when you are a top tier team, trying to improve around the very tip of the margins is not going to change anything come playoff time. They could use their almost history setting farm system to make significant improvements. Guys like, Rosenthal, Canha, Shelby Miller, and “cromulent” 4th to 5th outfielders is not what they need to be laser focused on.   
 

Arnold and his team shouldn’t be waking up of a morning and thinking “which injured way-past-his-prime pitcher can we acquire that could maybe get healthy and maybe catch lightning in a bottle”. They should be thinking “What move can we make that can change the complection of a series against the Dodgers, who treated us like children in the playoffs last year?”

  

You are working on the assumption there is someone out there who can do such a thing.

Which acquisition at the deadline last year would have beat the Dodgers for us?

[BruisedCrew]

2 minutes ago, liveforoctober said:

 

Which acquisition at the deadline last year would have beat the Dodgers for us?

Ohtani. Maybe.

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, Sugarrayray said:

“What move can we make that can change the complexion of a series against the Dodgers, who treated us like children in the playoffs last year?”

There is no single move that can change the complexion of a series against the Dodgers.

The Brewers could trade for Skubal, Chapman, and Zack Gelof and they would still be underdogs to the Dodgers.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

2 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

There is no single move that can change the complexion of a series against the Dodgers.

The Brewers could trade for Skubal, Chapman, and Zack Gelof and they would still be underdogs to the Dodgers.

"Whaaaaa .... but I want big NaMeZZZZZ that I knowwwwww!!!!!"

[liveforoctober]

This will be the same conversation every season and I don't mind it... it is good baseball talk. The irony though is that the reason the Brewers are in the position to allow a fan to have the opinion of "we need to go for it at the deadline and bring in some difference makers while we have a Top 5 team" is BECAUSE they operate in the exact opposite fashion.

 

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

I’d say top 10 team.  We’ve only won three playoff series in the past 15 years (40 years)

We’ve been doing great winning division titles in the past decade and getting to the  playoffs.

 But I get your point.  Being in the thick of it almost every July is exciting.  Speculating on who we are going to add it more exiting than who we are selling off.

then again, anticipating prospect hauls was fun too.  Very grateful to have such a top notch front office.

i hope we continue building the future but still sell off incrementally to give ourselves a better shot

 

[Thurston Fluff]

11 hours ago, wiguy94 said:

Not saying you’re wrong but I think that expression is becoming just something Arnold says. I genuinely can’t recall the last guy we traded for in a real trade not a DFA trade where Arnold didn’t use that phrase.

The other thing he routinely says when he trades for a young reliever is he views them as a starter. Maybe that's because it's always true. It may also be true that every GM in the NFL got the guy they wanted in the draft.

[igor67]

Just as importantly even when teams get big names at the deadline they are rarely viewed in history as players who got teams over the top. If you dispute this come up with a list of 10 players traded at the deadline since 2000 that were the big difference makers for those Championship teams.

[JoeyWiemerTruther]

If I was the Astros I’d be pretty worried about this trade already with Matt Arnold saying “Gordon is a guy we’ve been targeting for a long time”

[craigharmann]

4 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

Seems like Houston is unwilling to exceed the luxury tax threshold, yet want to add talent before the trade deadline; so trimming  payroll here allows them to take on more payroll later, plus it opens up 40 man roster spots, etc. 

Spot on.

[wiguy94]

2 hours ago, liveforoctober said:

This will be the same conversation every season and I don't mind it... it is good baseball talk. The irony though is that the reason the Brewers are in the position to allow a fan to have the opinion of "we need to go for it at the deadline and bring in some difference makers while we have a Top 5 team" is BECAUSE they operate in the exact opposite fashion.

 

I’m so glad someone said this part out loud and this take has never been more obvious than when Kratz on Foul Territory still cries about how the 2018 Brewers should traded Burnes and Woodruff for deGrom because it would have helped them win a World Series. I’m not even sure that’s true because those two combined for 21 innings of sub 2 ERA and +0.31 WPA in that postseason run. Imagine how much different the future of the Brewers changes if they made that trade. Maybe they win the WS in 2018 but I don’t think it’s a guarantee and the early 2020’s would likely have been significantly less successful without Burnes and Woodruff.

[homer]

I think there are too many holes for this to be a "go for it" year. The franchise is set up really well the next 3 - 5 seasons. Maybe in a year or two you make a big splash but this doesn't feel like the year to do it. Yes, I know they are in first place and 2nd best record (or whatever it is after the Pirates series) in baseball

[CheezWizHed]

16 minutes ago, homer said:

I think there are too many holes for this to be a "go for it" year. The franchise is set up really well the next 3 - 5 seasons. Maybe in a year or two you make a big splash but this doesn't feel like the year to do it. Yes, I know they are in first place and 2nd best record (or whatever it is after the Pirates series) in baseball

Agreed. I'm a little concerned about our SP health at the moment.  If Miz, Harrision, and Woody were all pitching strong, it might change things.  

But most of your core is here for the next couple of years (Woody, Megill, Contreras, Vaughn, and Bauers the exceptions) and most of the core that is here is still developing (Yelich the exception).  With a few big options still coming. 

[Jopal78]

3 hours ago, igor67 said:

Just as importantly even when teams get big names at the deadline they are rarely viewed in history as players who got teams over the top. If you dispute this come up with a list of 10 players traded at the deadline since 2000 that were the big difference makers for those Championship teams.

You may be overlooking players because this is easier than you think: 

Verlander 2017 Astos

Chapman 2016 Cubs

Soler 2021 Braves

Rosario 2021 Braves

Zobrist 2015 Royals

Cueto 2015 Royals

Scherzer 2023 Rangers

Jordan Montgomery 2023 Rangers

Edman 2024 Dodgers

Eovaldi 2018 Red Sox

I think a better point is, it’s still a crapshoot whether adding a marquee player is going to help more than adding less sexy depth pieces. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Samurai Bucky]

16 hours ago, liveforoctober said:

Specifically he mentions Hader - which is and isn't surprising if Josh said great things. Felt like Stearns did him dirty both in arbitration hearings as well as the exit. If he is still saying good things... good on our people.

My take is that those of us who think we know what is really going on, are not in the know.